As a young girl, Sister Maria Elena Arias, SDS. dreamed of helping poor children. A native of Colombia, she observed German Salvatorian priests working among the neediest of Bogota. In high school she felt called to religious life. Leaving family and everything familiar, she left Bogota and entered formation with the Salvatorian Sisters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is celebrating her 60th Jubilee of religious profession on Saturday, June 26, at the Sacred Heart School of Theology with other Salvatorians with an 11 a.m. Mass of Thanksgiving followed by a dinner for family and friends in the Seminary Dining Room. Other Jubilarians who will be giving “Joyful Thanks” include: Sisters Jean Marie Hauck, Teresa Rebholz, and Patricia Wieloch.

 Sister Maria Elena is still filled with dedication and commitment to children and education. For over fifty years, she ministered in Catholic schools in Wisconsin and Minnesota. One of her first ministries was at Tekakwitha Orphanage in Sisseton, South Dakota.

 “I begged to go there and it was my first love. We all worked around the clock as teachers, mothers and nurses. My mother had instilled this caring for others in me as a child,” she said.

 She has also been connected with Vieau School, the first bilingual elementary school in Milwaukee, for over forty years. She has been part of the Vieau community since being hired as a first grade teacher in 1969.  When she was studying at Marquette University, one of her professors asked her to consider the Milwaukee Public School system because of the great need for bilingual teachers.

 She was hired on the spot when she was interviewed at the Central Office. “Miss” Arias influenced thousands of children, parents, administrations and policies as a reading and social studies teacher and then as the coordinator of bilingual programs.

 “Children need to be affirmed and then they can be taught. Some of the children and some parents could not speak English. The fact that we could all communicate in Spanish made learning possible,” Sister Maria Elena pointed out. She is grateful to the outstanding teachers and mentors she had at Marquette University and Mount Mary College. She also holds current and past Vieau principals and teachers in high regard. “They care about the parents and students,” she notes. Sister Maria Elena also helped tutor several of the mothers with English as a Second Language.

 “Over sixty years ago I fell in love with the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Gospel message. Several members of my extended family were women religious and two were priests. I knew the life. I feel blessed that I was called to religious life as a Salvatorian Sister and was able to serve families in Catholic and public school systems. The Salvatorians are my family and I am concerned about each one and their families. There is lifetime support that includes spiritual, physical and ministry as we serve God and His people.”

 Sister Maria Elena enjoys visiting with friends, reading, taking walks with friends by the lake or in area parks, card games, gardening and sleeping in. When she remembers all those decades of children and parents, she can enthusiastically say, “I loved every minute.”